East Kilbride Labour Party has chosen its candidate to fight the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

LizAnne Handibode defeated list MSP Margaret McCulloch in a straight contest, winning an overwhelming majority of the votes from the hundreds of Labour Party members who took part.

She is now to set take on the SNP’s Linda Fabiani in the 2016 contest.

Ms Handibode, who currently works for South Lanarkshire Council, said: “I am delighted that Labour Party members have chosen me as their candidate for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

“I have been a member of the Labour Party for nearly 30 years and I am a long-time trade union member.

“I know East Kilbride extremely well, I have family who live here and I know that I have the skills and experience to take on the SNP and defeat them.

“East Kilbride lost faith with Labour in 2011.

“We should never have let that happen.

“I’ll be working with Michael McCann MP and Labour councillors to re-forge that relationship with voters in East Kilbride.

“I believe we can reconnect with voters, we can win back that support and we can make East Kilbride Labour again.”

“The chairman of East Kilbride Labour Party, Adam Ingram, said: “I am delighted that Labour Party members have selected LizAnne and that she will now contest the East Kilbride seat.

“She has the background, the experience and the skills to win back the East Kilbride seat from the SNP, a seat Labour should never have lost in 2011.

“Our first task is to win a resounding vote in the referendum and to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom and then return a Labour MSP from East Kilbride to Holyrood.

“With LizAnne as candidate, the Labour Party can do just that”

Local MP, Michael McCann, said: “I supported LizAnne because she was the stand out candidate.

“I’m pleased that a huge majority of Labour Party members shared that view.”

Defeated candidate Margaret McCulloch said: “I want to wish our new candidates every success as Labour looks beyond the referendum and towards the next Scottish Parliament elections in 2016.

“I will be working with Jackie Burns in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and LizAnne Handibode in East Kilbride to secure a Labour victory when that election comes.

“In the meantime, people can be assured that I will continue to be a voice for this constituency and this region on the issues that really matter – the regeneration of our town centres, the future of our NHS and employment across South Lanarkshire.”

The Party’s selection process for list candidates has yet to take place.